Here are some avenues that I have been using on a daily basis for several years to lead professional blogs, social network profiles (mine, those of my company, etc.), discussion groups, etc. Before finding content we should know about Social Media Management.
1. Warning: brand content or content marketing?
One mistake many social media users make is confusing branded Content with content marketing.
Brand content: this is the Content created to promote a brand. This is, for example, the storytelling used by companies, the texts of commercial brochures, and other sales tools (product description, website, etc.).
Content marketing: content marketing is a method of creating useful, or possibly fun, content for prospects and customers … without directly and ostentatiously promoting the brand.
2. Make the difference between hot topics and “evergreen content.”
How much time do you have to create your Content each week? Are you good enough on your favorite subject?
If answers to such two questions are “a lot” and “yes”… then you can choose the hot topics. Taking this route is time-consuming; it takes time to select the best Content in the midst of the large volume of information available (infobesity!), and it can be a bit risky (dissemination of information which ultimately turns out to be incorrect, for example, example).
If your favorite subject and your goals are suitable (see point 3), you can take advantage of “evergreen Content” Content that remains relevant several months, or even years, later. This is the case, for example, with advice for finding a job, a favorite subject of PoleDocumentation!
Advantage of “Evergreen Content” which is that you can create a large amount of Content, for example, in the form of an eBook, then divide it into small Content for the animation of a blog or even social network publications.
In the long term, this is certainly the best solution, the least tiring in any case!
3. Design your content marketing around the customer journey
I think there are 3 ways to design your content marketing:
– Fast animation content: easy writing
Among the methods described, you can, in particular, attempt content curation, which consists of selecting and re-broadcasting the Content produced by others (bloggers, newspapers, magazines, etc.). To give value to your curation, consider adding a text containing your personal opinion, the description of the shared Content (main ideas, points to remember, who is interested…).
– Content marketing: content marketing
To carry out your content marketing, you can start brainstorming with your colleagues: what subjects are close to your sector of activity? What questions are your customers and users asking? What are the current hot topics in your sector? Who are the influencers or experts in your field?
– Content marketing adapted to the customer journey: inbound marketing
Your content marketing is now well developed. To optimize its impact, create a customer journey (from awareness to decision-making) and classify each of your Content in the phase of the journey to which it corresponds.
4. Some tools & sources of content marketing
For my part, I use a few tools and sources to stimulate my inspiration.
Buzzsumo: this online solution (14 days free trial) allows you, among other things, to find Content that works on social networks (classified by network: those who perform on LinkedIn, those most appreciated on Twitter, etc.) and to find the inspiration by selecting ideas.
Feedly: you may prefer to find Content and inspiration by selecting your own sources. Feedly is one of the tools to consider, allowing you to monitor RSS feeds and google alerts. You will be notified of each update of your favorite sources.
Plan the moment: the annual calendar of events, proposed by Twitter, allows you to carry out a “culturejacking” (close to newsjacking), i.e., create Content or promotional campaigns based on a cultural event (“Community Manager’s Santa Claus list”).
Professional journals, book summaries: very useful in a BtoB context, professional journals, and books can be an important source of inspiration for quality content marketing. With these resources, you can spot the topics that matter in your field.
Experts on LinkedIn Pulse: in a BtoB context, Pulse is also a great source of inspiration. LinkedIn’s blogging platform helps you spot content that interests professionals in your industry.
Event programs: another good tool for inspiration, the programs of events or conferences in your field. You can also locate experts to interview.
Wisdom of Life 